This time of year, people are always on the lookout for that
"sleeper" pick to make an impact with the New Orleans Saints. Usually it's some
undrafted free agent that no one had ever heard of before.

This year, it could be a guy who was the No. 2 overall pick
in the 2009 NFL draft.

We won't be able to tell if Jason Smith has a realistic shot
at the Saints' starting left tackle job until we see him going full speed in
full pads in the preseason.

But Smith did get another audition with the first-string
offense during OTAs last week, and Coach Sean Payton reiterated that the
competition is "absolutely" still wide open between front-runner Charles Brown,
Smith and rookie Terron Armstead.

"I think oftentimes, you take a peek at a player that was
selected as high as he was and graded out as high as he was," Payton said of
the decision to sign Smith this offseason. "He is a tremendous worker and has
athletic ability. So it's another opportunity, and it's oftentimes you are able
to get a player maybe his second time around or third time around that can come
in and find a niche."

It's funny to think of Smith as a "sleeper." But for the
first time since he was drafted out of Baylor in 2009, Smith has been operating
below the radar this summer in Saints camp.

For his first three and a half years with the St. Louis
Rams, Smith played under the glare of high expectations and sometimes harsh
criticism -- a draft "bust" because of inconsistent performance and a series of
concussions.

Then he was traded to the New York Jets last summer, where
the spotlight always shines bright, even though he was playing a backup role

This year, however, Smith is experiencing relative anonymity
with the Saints. And that's perfectly OK with him.

Smith reluctantly spent about 15 minutes chatting with the
media during minicamp. It was a friendly, almost playful conversation. But it
was clear that Smith wasn't interested in analyzing his chances of winning a
starting job or dissecting his career's highs and lows up to this point.

"One day at a time," Smith said several times when asked for
his mindset -- one that is inspired by his strong religious faith.

"Upon the moment I received salvation, I understood that my
calling is now to suffer, just like Christ did. That's who I am," Smith said. "So
therefore, what I went through, my experiences, whether it be football or life,
it brought me to a point of patience. So with patience I have experience, and
with experience I have hope. And hope makes me not ashamed of what I went
through.

"So everything I went through has made me who I am as a
person. As far as the football stuff, it's still a day-to-day deal. As far as
my life, it's a day-to-day deal. So I desire to know God's heart. That's what
my focus is."

'Dying to learn'

Smith added that he was more focused on building
relationships with his teammates and learning from them than looking too far
backward or forward.

And by all accounts, that relationship-building process is
going well. Teammates and coaches alike have stressed how hard Smith works and
how eager he is to learn.

"I think he's improved a lot already," said right tackle
Zach Strief, whom Smith praised for being a mentor to all of the left tackle
candidates. "And he's very open to learning, which is something you're maybe
concerned about with a guy that's been in the league, been a starter. 'Oh, I
know what I'm doing.' He's not like that at all.

"I think it's encouraging to see a guy who's been in it as
long as he has see that rapid of improvement."

Offensive line coach Bret Ingalls gave a similar impression.

"As far as the character and want-to, it has been
tremendous. He's dying to learn. He's going to fix whatever isn't right. He's
showing improvement every day, so we're excited," said Ingalls, who added that
the team is also excited about the "movement skills" Smith has shown.

"But we'll know more once we get the pads on in training
camp," Ingalls added.

Smith has always been a tremendous athlete for his size (6
feet 5, 308 pounds). But his technique as a pass protector wasn't refined
enough during his early years with the Rams, and he was never able to win the
starting left tackle job.

Smith showed progress in each of his first three seasons,
though. He was a solid run blocker, and he was entrenched as the team's
starting right tackle throughout his second and third seasons.

Ultimately, it was the concussions that derailed his career
with the Rams.

Smith suffered three of them -- the most severe of which
came in Week 7 in 2011 and eventually landed him on injured reserve.

Then last summer, after the Rams brought in Jeff Fisher as
coach, Smith lost the starting right tackle job in camp. And the Rams worked
out one of those change-of-scenery trades with the New York Jets, swapping
Smith for the Jets' own underachieving tackle Wayne Hunter.

Changing scenery

Smith played all 16 games for the Jets as the top backup
tackle and the extra tight end in "jumbo" packages. By all accounts he did a
solid job. And the Saints signed him in free agency this offseason.

Although Smith obviously came at a discounted price, it was
a sign of the Saints' faith in his talent and potential that they signed him
ahead of any other veteran tackles on the market.

"You know, I remember when he was coming out, he was an
excellent athlete, he timed well, he jumped well, he's explosive, he's strong.
And I think you see all those things," Strief said. "And I think he's going to
flourish with the right coaching to get him in the right position.

"I mean, I think he's had good football coaches since he's
been in the league. But I think maybe his skill set will fit here well."

When asked why the Saints will be a good fit for Smith,
Strief said it's more about the culture and camaraderie among players than scheme.

"I think maybe it's more the techniques that were gonna use,
maybe the tips that we can give him," Strief said. "And who knows, it's all
speculation, but maybe if you're a guy drafted that high you come in and they
expect you to be a player. And if you're not, well, 'Why aren't you?' Instead
of, 'Hey ,we have to grow this guy up just like any other player.'

"So yeah, he is a very good athlete, he is very strong and
explosive. Those are all tools that you can't coach. That doesn't mean you
don't still have to grow as a player and learn the tricks of the trade."

Smith certainly doesn't blame his former head coach in St.
Louis, Steve Spagnuolo, who has followed a similar career path, being fired by
the Rams in 2011 then fired as the Saints' defensive coordinator in 2012.

"I enjoyed Spags as a person and I thank him still to this
day," Smith said. "I talked to him two weeks ago ... and I thanked him still and
I told him I loved him. So it was just kind of one of those deals that worked out
the way that it did, but I still love him for who he is and I thank him for the
opportunity he gave me."

And now that Smith has another opportunity with the Saints,
he'll do his best to make the most of it.